Local Plan
What is a Local Plan?
A Local Plan is a key planning document drawn up by one or more local planning authorities, in consultation with their respective communities, which guides decisions on future development proposals and seeks to address the needs and opportunities of their local areas.
The North East Derbyshire Local Plan 2014-2034 covers the area of North East Derbyshire outside of the Peak District National Park and looks forward to 2034. It contains a vision, objectives and a planning strategy for development. This includes policies on the scale of development and its overall pattern across the district. It allocates sites for development needed to meet the district’s objectively assessed needs and designates important areas to be protected and enhanced. The Plan also sets out criteria based policies on a range of planning issues to be used to determine planning applications on allocated and ‘windfall’ sites. A set of targets and indicators is included to provide the basis for monitoring the plan’s effectiveness and to indicate the need for any early review.
Why does the council need one?
The council has a duty to prepare a Local Plan for their area under section 38 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended) and section 3 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
By Law, all applications for planning permission must be determined in accordance with the local area’s development plan, unless material considerations, such as the NPPF, indicate otherwise. This makes the Local Plan crucial for determining planning applications submitted to the Council.
How does it relate to National policy/guidance?
The Local Plan has been prepared in the context of The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and more detailed National Planning Practice Guidance. The NPPF sets out the government’s planning policies for England and how these should be applied. The NPPF states that Local Plans must be prepared with the objective of contributing to the achievement of sustainable development which requires the planning system to perform an economic, social and environmental role. It requires Local Plans to be positively prepared, justified, effective and consistent with national policy. As such, Local Plans must not go against what is already set out at a national level but can set out in more detail how policy should be applied at the local level, for their specific areas.
How does the Local Plan affect my area?
As the Local Plan, together with Neighbourhood Plans and Minerals and Waste Local Plans, is the main document referred to when deciding the outcome of planning applications in the district, it is certain to affect what development does and doesn’t happen in your area. It also sets out key features and spaces within different areas which should be protected from inappropriate development, including (but not limited to) Green Belt and features of historic significance.
To see specific objectives and related policies in the plan that may affect your area, please refer to the Sub-Area map and the following Sub-Area objectives and outlines of their related policies in chapter 3 of the Local plan, found on Development Plan (Including Local Plan) webpage. To see specific policies visualised in map form for all areas of the district, please see Policy Maps 1-5, which can also be found on Development Plan (Including Local Plan) webpage, or the online mapping page.
How do we check if the policies in the Local Plan are still working?
The Local Plan sets out a comprehensive framework for monitoring all its objectives, policies and targets set for the district on pages in chapter 10. Those policies, which are fundamental to the achievement of the key targets that support the Local Plan’s objectives and reflect the effectiveness of the Local Plan’s strategy, are monitored, at minimum, on an annual basis. The results of the annual monitoring are published through the Authority Monitoring Report and Infrastructure Funding Statement:
- The Authority’s Monitoring Report (AMR), which all Local Authorities are required to produce on a regular basis by the Localism Act (2011). This provides a good overall summary of how the delivery of the local plans various targets and policies is progressing.
- The Infrastructure Funding Statement, also produced annually in accordance with The Community Infrastructure Levy (Amendment) (England) (No.2) Regulations 2019. This sets out all contributions secured through section 106 agreements from new developments for infrastructure and affordable housing.
For more information on how the local plan is monitored and for links to the reports mentioned above, please see Monitoring.
When will the local plan be reviewed/updated?
The Government requires local planning authorities to review Local Plans at least once every 5 years from their adoption date and update them as necessary, to ensure that policies remain relevant and effectively address the needs of the local community. As such, a review of whether the Local Plan and its evidence base remain up to date needs to be completed by November 2026.
Please see the Local Development Scheme for the most up to date timescales for this.
How can I get involved in the future preparation of a new or updated Local Plan?
If you would like to be consulted on future Local Plan documents, you can register on the Council’s Planning Policy Consultation Platform, which is shared with Bolsover District Council. From here, you can register and log back in at a later date at the top right of the page. You may also want to regularly check our Local Development scheme, which sets out an up-to-date timetable for the production of all planning documents relating to the local plan and includes stages at which local communities have the opportunity to get involved. For more information, please see Local Development Scheme.
Neighbourhood Plan
What is a neighbourhood plan?
A neighbourhood plan is a voluntary-produced plan which can be created by local communities to set out a vision for their area and associated planning policies for the use and development of the areas land. The key intention of the Neighbourhood Plan is to allow local communities to make their own decisions on how their towns or villages change or develop.
When adopted, it becomes part of the North East Derbyshire’s Development Plan and used in deciding planning applications. While the neighbourhood plan is not able to control the amount of development to less than set out in the Local Plan, or change its strategic policies, they can choose where new homes, shops, offices and other development should be built, identify and protect important local green spaces and influence what new buildings should look like.
Which areas of North East Derbyshire have prepared a Neighbourhood Plan?
There are currently 7 ‘Made’ Neighbourhood Plans for the following areas in the district:
- Ashover
- Brackenfield
- Brampton
- Dronfield
- Holymoorside and Walton
- Wessington
- Wingerworth
Currently, there are also 2 Neighbourhood plans being prepared for Shirland and Higham and Killamarsh. To view the above plans and for more information on future plans being prepared and Neighbourhood planning in general, please see Neighbourhood Planning.
How do they relate to the Local Plan?
A Neighbourhood Plan, when adopted, will be used side by side with the Local Plan to determine planning applications in the relevant area. A Neighbourhood Plan must be in general conformity with the strategic policies in the Local Plan to which their area applies but can provide further detail at the neighbourhood-level of how Local Plan policy should be applied.
Other
What is a Local Development Scheme?
A Local Development Scheme sets out the planning documents the Council proposes to produce and the timetable for their production, including key stages where local communities have the opportunity to get involved. To view our current Local Development Scheme and find out more, please see Local Development Scheme.
What is a Statement of Community Involvement?
A Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) sets out how the public, organisations and other interested parties can influence new planning documents covering the district. It also sets out ways in which you can comment on planning applications, as well as other forms of submissions such as applications for listed building consent. To view our current Statement of Community Involvement and find out more please see Statement of Community Involvement.
What are developer contributions and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)?
Developer contributions refers to contributions made by developers and/or landowners to help fund the infrastructure that is needed to make development acceptable in planning terms. Required infrastructure or community benefits must make development sites acceptable and mitigate the impact of additional demand caused by the development site.
These contributions are secured through the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and/or Planning obligations (also known as section 106 obligations, named after section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990). CIL only applies in areas where a Local Authority has consulted on, approved and published a charging schedule on its website, which sets out the levy rates for within the Authority area. At present, North East Derbyshire has not implemented a CIL charging Schedule. Chapter 9 of the Local Plan provides further information about developer contributions and CIL.
Does NEDDC have a self and custom build housing register? If so, where can I register?
Yes, we do! To register your interest in joining the councils self and custom build register, please complete and submit the following form.
For more information about self and custom build housing and what it means to be on the register, please see Custom and Self Build.